Occupation Miner

The saga of mining at Brown's Creek will be the subject of Orange and District Historical Society's next mining meeting at the Gladstone Hotel on Wednesday, February 24.

Brown's Creek (sometimes called Cowriga Creek) is a significant creek in the Millthorpe-Blayney area. The mine is where the Blayney-Cadia Road crosses the Spring Terrace-Carcoar road. Gold was reputedly discovered in the area by Norwegian Norvis Gotterty in 1867. Other miners soon followed and by 1873 there were three stores, two pubs and a butcher's shop. By 1878 there were 200 miners plus a local farming population. The Brown's Creek Gold Mining Company continued mining until 1888 when problems with water forced the mine's closure.

In 1895 a French company, Compagnie des Mines d'Or, spent £50,000 importing a marine engine from Glasgow and installing a large stamping battery. The company sank a shaft into the old workings which subsequently collapsed and forced the mine to close in 1901. In 1904 open-cut mining began, using cyanide to treat the old tailings. Mining continued until the late 1930s but low grades made it unprofitable. Michael Hickey obtained the leases in 1979 and opened a new shaft and drives. In 1986 he sold the mine to BHP Minerals, which in 1993 sold it to Hargraves resources. A South African company took it over in 1999 but six weeks later, an aquifer was hit, the mine was flooded and abandoned.

It was purchased in 2001 by Australian Native Landscapes, which ingeniously makes use of the site, the water and the limestone and mullock heaps to produce compost, decorative gravels and road base on a large scale.

Guest speaker Trevor Pascoe is a descendant of a family which has had close associations with mining and farming in the district and is currently president of Millthorpe and District Historical Society. He will be joined by John Campbell, who was mining engineer at the site from 1982-87, before moving on to the nearby Junction Reefs mine at Mandurama.

The meeting will take place at the Gladstone Hotel function room at 7 for 7.30pm. There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served. If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 6362-3257, mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com